Polish Psychologists Develop World's First Clinical Scale to Measure Post-Game Depression Phenomenon

Polish researchers develop the P-GDS to measure the "emptiness" felt after finishing a video game. Discover why RPG players are at the highest risk for P-GD.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 19, 2026, 12:23 PM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from SWPS University

Validating the "Post-Credits" Sense of Loss

For decades, gaming communities have discussed an unofficial "feeling of emptiness" that follows the completion of long, emotionally charged narratives, yet the phenomenon remained largely ignored by clinical science. Psychologists Kamil Janowicz and Piotr Klimczyk have now formalized this experience as Post-Game Depression (P-GD). Their research characterizes the sensation not as a standard clinical depression, but as a specific form of grief similar to the end of a major life stage or parting with a loved one. As games become more immersive and realistic, the transition back to daily reality has become a significant psychological hurdle for a growing number of the world’s three billion gamers.

The Four Pillars of the Post Game Depression Scale

To quantify this distress, the researchers developed the Post-Game Depression Scale (P-GDS) based on studies involving 373 active players. The scale identifies four distinct facets of the experience: game-related ruminations, which involve intrusive thoughts about the plot; a "challenging end of experience" marked by emotional difficulty; the perceived necessity of replaying the game to regain the lost feeling; and media anhedonia. This final category is particularly notable, describing a temporary loss of interest in all other forms of entertainment—including other games, movies, or books—following the "peak" experience of the completed title.

Why RPG Players Face the Highest Risk

The study reveals that fans of Role-Playing Games (RPGs) are the most susceptible to intense P-GD. Unlike other genres, RPGs allow players to exert significant influence over character development and story outcomes, fostering an unusually deep bond between the player and their digital avatar. Dr. Janowicz notes that the more agency a player feels and the more time they spend inhabiting a complex virtual world, the more painful the "departure" becomes. The research suggests that the virtual relationships formed in these games are processed by the brain with a level of emotional weight usually reserved for real-world social connections.